


Bar Talk

by Macx



Series: Borderlines [6]
Category: Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-14
Updated: 2011-05-14
Packaged: 2017-10-19 09:56:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/199588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macx/pseuds/Macx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. Standish is in...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ezra hadn’t actually thought he would find anyone here this early in the afternoon. He had come to Nettie’s for one of her to-die-for flavored coffees and maybe, if he felt luxurious today, apple pie. Chris was still at the office, currently at his third caffeinated soft drink, finishing statistics Travis had requested.

The usual crowd was missing from the small bar and except for a couple that looked like tourists, and the usual 24-hour customers, no one was here.

Except Vin Tanner.

Surprised to find his friend here, Ezra had checked out the situation, taking in the very thoughtful expression on the other man’s face as he stirred what looked like a plain coffee. There was an empty plate in front of him. Walking over to the bar, he slid onto a chair and waited for Casey, who had the afternoon shift.

“Coffee?” JD’s girlfriend asked.

“Yes. Vanilla almond,” Ezra decided.

“Pie?”

He gave a long-suffering sigh. Damn, he simply couldn’t resist. “Apple.”

Casey chuckled and went to prepare the order. When he had his food and drink, Ezra took the plate and cup over to the booth.

“Mind if I join you?”

Vin looked up, startled out of his thoughts, then smiled. “Hey, Ez. Sit down.”

Ezra slid into the booth and set down his plate and mug. He stirred the aromatic hot drink, wondering what had brought Vin here.

“How do you do it?” Vin suddenly asked.

Ezra, who had been about to taste his coffee, set it down again. Experience told him that even if this wasn’t Buck, the question might just have the effect of coffee ending up sprayed all over the table.

“Do what?”

“Seduce someone.”

Thank god for experience!

His surprise registered through the Bond and he felt Chris’s presence.

<Ezra? Something wrong?>

<No, no. I’m at Nettie’s…>

<Okay, what did he ask this time?> came the sigh as Chris added one and one and suddenly had five.

<How to seduce someone>

Ezra nearly laughed out loud as he felt Chris’s reaction. He was nearly choking on his soft drink, fighting hard not to spray it over the documents.

<What?!> Chris demanded.

<How to seduce someone> Ezra repeated.

<Buck?>

<No, Vin>

Chris got a coughing fit. <Vin?!> he exclaimed.

The thief sighed and brought up a shield. <Later. Dr. Standish is in> he chuckled.

He turned his attention back to Vin. “Seduce someone?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“And you want to know it from me?”

A nod.

“Vin, I’m not sure I’m the right person to ask…”

“I have no one else,” came the soft reply. “I can hardly ask Buck.”

“True, but… Vin, I’m not a seducer,” Ezra pointed out.

Vin played with his spoon. “Looking at you and Chris, I think you are.”

Ezra blinked. Okay… Whatever gave Vin that idea? He wasn’t seducing Chris, now was he?

A hot image crossed the Bond and he felt his blood boil. Shit, not now!

<Chris, you are not helping!>

<You can be seductive if you want to> came the throaty reply.

<There’s a difference. I doubt Vin is thinking in terms of… gawd, stop it!>

This time, the shield was stronger.

“Why do you want to know?” Ezra asked, bringing his emotions back into a semblance of order.

“Because I think Buck wants it. In a way, he’s waiting for me to try… but I don’t know how.“ Vin looked at his hands. “With me, it’s more like, well… some foreplay, and then sex wherever we happen to be. The couch, the shower…”

Ezra allowed himself a teasing grin. “And that’s bad why exactly?”

Vin gave him a despairing look. “Ezra!”

Ezra regarded the man opposite him silently, waiting.

“You don’t know much about the scene, right?” Vin suddenly asked.

“No, not exactly.” Despite his relationship with Chris, Ezra wasn’t gay. He had never been. He had no idea about the gay culture. Neither had Chris.

A sigh. “Figured as much. You see, compared to a male-female relationship, the courting rituals with women, the way you treat a women, the scene is rather… harsh. Romance is not something we go for. We tease, we touch, but we aren’t actually romantic. Not like you see with women. You single out a guy you like, you make your intent clear, you go somewhere for a good fuck. Most of the time, the guy leaves right after the act or he gets a few hours of shut-eye and you’re alone in the morning. Few one nighters continue the next morning with the cuddling and loving. You go to the bars to get laid, plain and simple.

In longer relationships, yes, there is such a thing as romance, but I never had any longer relationships, Ezra. I didn’t want them. I didn’t need them. I was all for the quickies and the casual encounters. You remember Ched? He was the longest I had. Three weeks while he was out of a job and waiting for a freighter to hire workers. And even that wasn’t a relationship like with Buck. It was plain bodily pleasure.”

Vin hung his head, sighing deeply.

“I’m out of the water here, Ezra, and I don’t know what to do.”

Ezra gazed at his friend, thinking ‘ouch’, realizing a lot of things. He had never given the life and culture of gays a lot of thought. Despite being with Chris, neither man had felt the need to go to any of those bars or other meeting places. Vin came from a completely different background and he was suddenly facing a huge problem. He was trying to adjust to it, but something inside of him was fearing failure.

This wasn’t about learning about seduction, he decided. This was about a lot more.

 

*

 

A knock at the door let Chris look up from his last statistic and he was mildly surprised to discover that his visitor was Buck.

“Hey, Chris.”

“Buck. What can I do for you?”

Buck looked nervous, almost uncomfortable. “Have you seen Vin?”

“Not lately, no.” Chris placed down his pen.

“Oh. Okay. Uh, Chris?”

“Yes, Buck?”

“Have you seen Ezra then?”

He sighed softly. When had Ezra Standish become the team counselor? Well, the counselor for relationship problems anyway.

“Buck, come in and sit down…. We need to talk.”

 

*

 

At Nettie’s, Ezra caught Vin’s despairing gaze.

“You already gave Buck a very precious gift, Vin,” he stated calmly.

There was a confused expression in the unlined features.

“You showed Buck what you feel – for everyone to see,” Ezra reminded him of the coming out right here, in this bar, in the middle of the Friday evening crowd. Vin had kissed Buck, showing everyone who he was laying a claim to. “And Buck pays you back by letting you lead in this relationship.”

Another sigh. “Yeah, maybe. I know I was the more experienced part in the beginning, but…I don’t know what’s wrong with him lately.”

 

 

“Vin showed me a lot of stuff about mal loving, Chris. Man, I was completely innocent in that regard,” Buck snorted. “He taught me the pleasures, but I don’t know what’s wrong with him lately.”

Chris had pushed the statistics aside, giving his oldest friend his full attention. “Tell me.”

He had lowered his shields, knocking at Ezra’s and receiving the same courtesy. Right now, fragments of their conversations floated through the connection between their souls.

Buck gazed at his hands. “Vin has … withdrawn somehow….”

 

 

“Buck’s used to women, Ezra. I think he’s… expecting more from this than I can give,” Vin meanwhile argued in the bar.

“Which would be what? Except a ring and a bunch of kids?” Ezra asked clinically.

Vin glared at him, a fire in his blue eyes that hadn’t been there before. “Thank you for reminding me!” he snapped.

“My pleasure.”

Ezra smiled, taking the sting out of his statement. Sometimes, kid gloves didn’t work. He didn’t need his empathic skills to know that.

 

 

Chris winced as he heard his lover’s words. <Ezra!> he exclaimed.

<Only the truth, partner> came the calm reply.

“It’s not like I want a ring and kids, Chris! “ Buck chose to say right that moment, almost startling Chris into a coughing fit. “I want him and him alone! But I can’t seem to beat it into that mule-headed fool!”

Chris felt like slapping his face. Oh geez. Since when had relationships become such a problem? Since when did Buck have relationship problems?

“Have you ever told him that?” he asked, trying to keep the sigh out of his voice.

 

 

Vin mutely shook his head as Ezra echoed Chris’s question. In Chris’s office, Buck was doing the same.

“Buck is the romantic type, Vin,” he told his friend. “He has always been.”

“So he likes it.”

“Yes, he likes romance and seduction. At least he likes to be the one to seduce his lovers.”

Vin winced at the plural. Ezra barely refrained from rolling his eyes. When had Tanner become so sensitive to the topic?

“But I doubt he wants you to copy his actions.”

“But if he is the romantic type, he would like it!” Vin argued.

“Have you ever asked him?”

Vin blinked. “Uh, no.”

“Why not?”

“I… I don’t know.” Vin hung his head. “Man, this would be a lot easier with a Bond.”

Ezra almost laughed out loud. But unlike with Buck, he didn’t feel like strangling Vin. He knew where that comment stemmed from. Vin had been Bonded, to someone who hadn’t been his lover, and this comment was a silent regret that a connection between two souls was not an option any more. His soul partner had died and there could never be a new Bond. It would help him express his feelings, something he was unable to do in words. ‘I love you’ were three words, but Vin was unable to bring the feeling behind them across.  It was the reason why he had withdrawn.

 

 

Chris was keeping a close ear to Ezra’s side and nodded to himself as he felt the reasoning. Despite Ezra’s inability to consciously use his latent empathic powers, his subconsciousness easily tapped into them and gave him such a good insight.

“Buck, what would you do if Vin were a woman?” he asked his friend, who was morosely staring at the floor.

Wilmington looked up in surprise. “Come again?”

Chris grinned. “Humor me. What would you do if you encountered that problem with a female date?”

“Uh, flowers… roses. Candy, if she likes it. Candle light dinner. You know.”

Larabee nodded. “Yes, I know. So why aren’t you doing it?”

Buck stared at him, shocked. “Chris!”

“Yes?”

“I… I can’t do that! Vin’s a man! He would shoot me outright! He’s not the romantic type!”

Chris felt his frustration bubble to the surface again. Why was Buck always so literal?

“Buck, romance isn’t always flowers and candy. You should know that.”

The same frustration hit him from Ezra’s side.

<You heard what he said?< Chris asked with a sigh.

<Uh-huh. You heard Vin?>

<Yep>

This time the sigh came from Ezra. <I can’t believe those two!>

<Okay, Dr. Standish, what now?>

 

 

Yes, Ezra thought, what now. He had an idea what this was all about, but he had to make Vin realize it on his own.

“If I understand your problem correctly, you want to tell Buck how you feel,” he said carefully.

Vin nodded mutely.

“But you don’t know how.”

Another nod. “Words are cheap,” Tanner said softly. “They can’t express what I really feel, Ezra. Do you know how often I’ve heard ‘I love you’? It’s not that I don’t believe Buck, but… I….“

“You are confused by what Buck is giving you. And you want to return it,” Ezra finished as. Vin stumbled to a halt

Again, a slow nod.

“But you don’t know what it is.”

Vin sighed.

<You are good, Ezra> Chris commented.

<Dr. Standish to you>

A smile answered him.

<When worlds collide> Ezra sighed.

<Hm?>

<Chris, do me a favor. Ask Buck what he’s expecting from Vin>

Chris just sent a mental shrug and followed the request.

 

 

Buck stared at him, a question mark on his face. Chris waited, having posed the question Ezra had asked him to.

“What do I expect?” Buck echoed. “Nothing! I just want him to be Vin. That he trusts me, believes in me… loves me.”

Chris nodded. “I’m no expert, Buck, but looking at you two, he’s doing that.”

“I know he does!”

“But?”

“But it seems, as of late, he doesn’t,” came the beaten reply and Buck stared at the desk again.

 

 

Ezra sipped as his by now rather cold coffee and grimaced slightly. So much for that. He regarded Vin, who was playing with the spoon, looking lost and hurt.

“Vin, you are a gay man,” Ezra said calmly as he leaned forward, capturing the other man’s eyes. “You have only known the gay scene. Buck is a man who recently not only discovered that he is bi, he also moved in with you and hasn’t even touched a woman. He has never known your world, my friend. He can’t change his way, his behavior. He draws his knowledge from women. You can’t change into his line of thinking. In a sense, you’re treating him as an all-gay man. I don’t want to imply that Buck treats you like a woman; far from it. But you can’t treat Buck like your former lovers either.”

Vin’s eyes widened in shock at the cool, clear words. Ezra wasn’t holding back.

“I wouldn’t!” he stammered.

“Subconsciously, you do.”

Vin swallowed at that harsh remark. After what he had revealed not only about his world but also himself, Ezra knew he was hurting him quite severely with his cold facts. Accusing him of seeing his former flings and, especially, Ched in Buck was painful.

“I don’t want that, Ezra,” he finally said softly. “I’m trying not to.”

“I wouldn’t hurt either of you to talk about it then,” Ezra stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It helps.”

“If you know how to.”

Ezra smiled. Men didn’t talk about emotions; him included. Especially him. Damn, if not for the soul bond, Chris wouldn’t be privy to even a fraction of the emotional upheaval that sometimes went through the thief.

Now they were getting back to the root of the problem once more. Vin’s inability to find the right words and his insecurity because he couldn’t.

“Love can move a mountain, as can faith,” Ezra said philosophically. “You have both. Where’s your problem?”

 

 

In his office, Chris had taken his cues from Ezra, almost quoting his partner word by word. He had watched Buck sink back in his chair as the truth made itself known, as he had realized Vin’s problem.

He swallowed. “I didn’t know,” he murmured.

Chris nodded. Neither had he.

<Thank you> he sent.

Ezra’s response was a smile and Chris kissed him over the Bond. His partner returned the kiss and Larabee smiled.

“It would help to talk, Buck, and I think Vin is ready to listen.”

Wilmington looked up, a frown on his face.

“Vin’s with Ezra,” Chris explained with a smile.

“Ah hell….”

“Buck, go…. talk.”

Buck nodded and rose, leaving the office. Chris leaned back in his chair and turned his full attention to his lover.

<Dr. Standish>

Ezra laughed. <Dr. Larabee>

Chris chuckled. <Only the assistant. You were good> He suddenly grinned devilishly and sent an image.

Ezra’s outrage followed suit. <You wouldn’t!>

<Watch me>

<Larabee!>

Chris laughed. <Ezra, where’s your romantic side?>

<If I see so much as one flower….>

<Ye-es?>

<My revenge will be terrible!> Ezra threatened.

 

* * *

 

Ezra counted off some money when a second steaming hot mug of vanilla-almond coffee was placed in front of him. Nettie Wells, owner of the bar, took the seat that earlier had been vacated by a thoughtful Vin Tanner.

“Leave the money, son. It’s on the house,” the older woman said and Ezra raised an eyebrow.

“To what do I owe the honor?”

She smiled crookedly. “Helping that boy figure out his feelings.”

“I think you’re confusing me with a psychologist, Ms. Wells.”

Nettie chuckled. “I doubt that. Ever since he hooked up with that boisterous loudmouth, both have changed – for the better, I must say. I know you didn’t get them together, Ezra, but you helped make it work.”

Ezra kept a passive face. “You calling me a matchmaker?” he challenged, letting laughter shine in his eyes.

Nettie met those laughing eyes and smiled. “No, just a hell of a good friend. I don’t know how Vin got Buck to turn his pretty ass on womenfolk and have only eyes for him, but it did him good. Boy’s been a lot more outgoing of sorts.”

“We’re talking about Vin Tanner, right?” Ezra took a sip from the coffee, letting the liquid warm him. “The man who can go for days with one-worded replies.”

“Yep.”

“Just making sure.” Ezra lifted the mug in a toast.

Nettie nodded once, then walked back to her work. Ezra remained for another half hour, enjoying the music, the general homey feel of the bar, and his coffee. When he left, he briefly checked on Chris but found only shields. Okay, still doing statistics, he decided.

He entered his quarters, ready for a nice shower, some TV time, and then hopefully some Chris. Travis had mentioned something about a new assignment that included him, JD and Nathan, so that meant less time with his lover.

Ezra stopped dead in his tracks as he looked over to the kitchen counter. It was completely wiped clean and there was only one object on its flat, brown surface. He carefully approached it, frowning.

He felt a ripple along the Bond and discovered his lover, leaning against the corner of the kitchen wall that stuck out into the living room. There was a positively devilish smile on his features.

“What is that?” Ezra asked, putting some disgust in his voice.

The thing was maybe three inches high, basically green, had a white, hair-like substance covering it, hiding short but sharp thorns, and it was definitely a plant.

“A cactus,” Chris commented, his amusement leaking over in waves.

“A cactus,” Ezra repeated flatly, looking up from his examination.

“Yep.”

Ezra shot him a critical look.

“It’s a gift.”

“A gift.”

Chris grinned more and it was a most annoying grin at that. “Must be an echo in here.”

“You are giving me a cactus,” the thief stated, his eyes wandering between the offending plant and Larabee.

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m trying to seduce you?”

Ezra gaped at his highly amused lover, taking in the laughing, hazel eyes, the roguish grin.

“Let me get this straight: you are trying to seduce me with a cactus?” Ezra asked, incredulous.

“Yep.”

The thief couldn’t believe it. He shook his head, feeling laughter through the connection.

“I was thinking flowers first,” Chris added, “but I knew you’d shoot me if I came here with a bunch of lilies.”

“Lilies?” Ezra blurted. “Lilies? Whose funeral are we talking here?” He advanced menacingly on the man in black, who was having a hard time hiding his laughter. “Lilies!” he huffed.

“I knew you wouldn’t like them,” Chris teased, retreating from Ezra.

“So you got me a cactus.”

“Yep.”

Ezra pounced. Chris laughed out loud as he unsuccessfully tried to evade his lover. They fell over in a heap, landing on the two-seater, Ezra sitting on him.

“And you think that’s romantic? Seductive?”

Those hazel eyes were still teasing mirthlessly. <Works, right?> Chris purred.

Ezra leaned over him. <Really?>

Chris lifted his head, bridging the remaining gap and softly kissing the thief’s lips. <Really> he murmured.

Ezra caught the questing lips and hungrily kissed his lover. <I have to concur> he moaned as Chris’s hand slipped under his shirt.

 

* * *

 

A week later, after a short but interesting bodyguarding operation, Ezra returned to his desk. He knew there was still some paperwork to battle, but he felt rather good. Most likely because Chris felt the same. He had had a good time on his mission with Vin and Buck as well, so the Bond wasn’t crackling under stress or mental strain. Walking over to his desk, Ezra nodded at his present colleagues, smiling as he discovered the sparkle in Vin’s eyes and the smile on Buck’s features. Apparently, the crisis had been averted.

Sitting down on his desk, Standish frowned as he discovered a flat, rectangular package, wrapped in plain, brown paper. There was a note stuck to it. It simply said his name.

“Open it,” Buck’s jovial voice startled him and the thief glared at him.

“What is it?”

“Just open it.”

“If this is some kind of prank…”

“Nope, it isn’t,” Vin joined in, appearing next to Buck. “Open it, Ez.”

The frown stayed on his face as he carefully unwrapped the package. It was a frame. A dark brown, wooden frame. Underneath the gleaming glass was…

Ezra’s mouth fell open and he knew he was gaping.

“Now there’s something new,” Buck remarked. “Ezra’s speechless.”

“A day to remember,” Vin agreed.

<Close your mouth, Ezra. You are gaping> Chris teased.

It got him a glare and the blond man just smiled back at his lover. He had come to join his two friends and Agents.

Ezra read over the text of the paper in the frame.

 

Diploma

 

For counseling services rendered

For friendship given freely

For simply listening

 

to

 

Dr. Ezra P. Standish

 

Who really missed his calling

 

Signed by Vin Tanner and Buck Wilmington

 

Ezra was in deep shock.

<Ezra?> Chris knocked carefully.

He couldn’t reply.

<Ezra….>

<Chris... why?>

<It’s just a little gift to show their appreciation> Chris replied softly.

<I didn’t expect….>

<I know. They know. Just a way to show it nevertheless>

Ezra swallowed.

“Why?” he asked out loud.

“For the obvious,” Buck explained seriously.

Ezra’s face must have reflected the question mark that appeared in his mind.

“For helping us, for being our friend. Despite the fact that our friendship didn’t start out so well….” Buck grinned apologetically.

<He’s been telling me that for the last two years!> Ezra exclaimed.

<And he’ll tell you for another two. That’s just Buck>

<Oh great!>

“You wanted us to talk. We did. We also talked about you.”

“Oh.” Then Ezra’s eyes narrowed. “You talked about me?”

Buck chuckled. “Not like that. Ez, you’re a damn good friend, and we wanted to show you that you’re appreciated. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Thanks,” Ezra said quietly.

<You knew about it?> he asked his partner.

<Nope>

“So, you wanna hang it somewhere?” Vin asked.

Ezra shook his head. “No.” He smiled. “I don’t want to intimidate Nathan.”

Buck snickered, shaking his head. He and Vin returned to their respective desks while Chris stayed where he was, leaning casually against Ezra’s.

“You still looked shocked,” he remarked quietly.

“I am,” was the equally quiet reply. “I didn’t expect this.”

“I figured.”

Ezra placed the precious frame into his drawer and slowly closed it. “They keep surprising me, one way or the other.”

Chris smiled. “And vice versa. Accept it, Ezra, you are their friend. You’ve been included into the family and whatever weirdness and fun happens around it.”

Ezra chuckled. “Especially the weirdness.”

“Yep.”

With that Chris walked back into his office.  Ezra turned to his computer and switched it on, intent to start on his report. He gazed at the closed drawer, a gentle warmth touching him, then he concentrated on his work once more.


	2. Chapter 2

It was one of the usual team gatherings at the end of a successful mission. It had been a smaller case, an operation that involved two other teams as well, but the result had been the same: success. Celebrations had been going on since the early afternoon, and by now everyone but Buck, Ezra and Chris had left.

Buck had been his good-natured, boisterous self throughout the whole time, but the moment the three Agents were alone, his whole demeanor seemed to change. Ezra had watched him closely the last half hour and the signs were pretty clear. Buck was talking about everything and nothing, played with the crackers and pretzels, as well as with his glass.

<He seems to be preoccupied> Ezra remarked to Chris.

<I know. That’s Buck when he wants to talk about something>

<About what?>

<No idea> his partner confessed <Ask?>

Ezra shot him a look that was mixture of disbelief and mock shock. <Remember the last few times we asked him something?>

Chris grimaced. Half his beer had ended up sprayed over the table each time. Buck had this knack to ask questions or make statements out of the blue that floored Larabee.

<Well, we probably have to ask because otherwise he won’t spill it> he sighed. <Buck’s rather mule-headed sometimes>

<Sometimes?>

A snort. <Okay, mostly>

<You ask> Ezra decided.

<Why me?>

<Seniority>

That earned him a glare. <Seniority!? Seniority my ass!>

<And such a nice one it is> Ezra sent a leer and Chris nearly inhaled the cracker the wrong way.

“Buck?” he asked out loud.

“Hm?”

“You wanna spill it before you choke on it?”

Wilmington gave Chris a confused look, but there was a hint of panic, Ezra noted.

<Definitely something> Larabee remarked.

<Women trouble?>

<Nah. That usually comes out different. Trust me> Chris had known Buck long enough to know what women trouble looked like with Wilmington. It couldn’t be work related either.

<Let me try it> Ezra said.

Chris shot him a dubious look. <Okay>

Ezra folded his hands and smiled at the older man. “So, Buck, you went and tried it out?”

Buck, who had just been about to take a sip of his beer, sprayed most of it over the desk.

Chris’s grin was only visible over the Bond between the two soul partners. <Revenge!> he declared.

“What?! Try what?” Buck coughed, grabbing a napkin and wiping his mouth. He then proceeded to give special attention to the droplets on the worn table top.

Ezra smiled devilishly. <Bull’s eye!>

<Uh, yes. Errr.. with what?> Chris wanted to know, confusion leaking along the connection.

The thief gave him an exasperated look. <Chri-is! Remember the last time we sat here>

<Yeah, sure>

<So?>

Silence.

<You are thick tonight! We talked about a certain topic….?>

<A certain topic? What certain topi….. oh my gawd! You mean he…?!>

Ezra shot him a boyish grin. <Yep>

<Hellfire! No, it can’t be!>

<Just look at him!>

<Buck’s … blushing….?> Chris stared at his oldest friend.

<He is> Ezra confirmed.

<Hell, last time I saw Buck blush was back at the academy when he washed a red bra with his underwear. Turned out all pink>

Standish had to laugh at the image of Buck Wilmington in pink underwear, standing in front of his sergeant, trying to explain how a red women’s bra had made it into his laundry.

“So, Buck, you did it?” he asked out loud, his face not revealing anything of the silent conversation with Chris.

“Well, I….err… you see… kinda,” Buck stammered.

“Kinda?” Ezra echoed. “Either you did or you didn’t. There’s no ‘kinda’. You of all people should know that.”

Buck shot him a dark look, which Ezra answered with an amused, dimpled smile.

Chris gave him an inquiring look. “So you slept with a man?” he clarified.

Buck nodded silently.

“Please don’t tell me you went to one of those bars!”

His friend evaded his eyes and there was a chagrined expression on his features.

“Shit, Buck!” Chris couldn’t believe it. “Did you pay for it?”

“No!” Buck exclaimed.

“Why did you do it?” Chris wanted to know.

<You have to ask?> Ezra sent.

<What?>

<You know why, Chris. Because of us>

Chris was a bit perplexed. <Because of… Why because of us?>

<Remember our last conversation concerning this? You wanted his acceptance. Now you got it> Ezra sounded rather calm and matter-of-fact.

<He didn’t have to go overboard with it!>

<Well, Commander Larabee, you described your friend as the experimental type!>

<I wasn’t aware he was **that** experimental! > Chris snapped.

<Would you rather have him come to us with that request?> Ezra asked reasonably. <I wasn’t aware you were into threesomes… or sharing>

<Ezra!>

<Ye-es?> A teasing smile accompanied the long-drawn word.

<Shut up!>

“I was kinda curious….” Buck said and pulled them back to the reality around them.

Chris’s eyes narrowed and there was a frown on his face. “Not good enough, pard. Curiosity is no reason! You asked me what’s it like to be a Kiowata, but you weren’t ready to go through a change because of it!”

Buck studied his folded hands. “That’s not the same.”

“The hell it is! I can see no difference!” Larabee tried to keep his voice down. With the music and the loud cheers from the patrons around the bar, that wasn’t a problem. Two other Agency teams were currently battling it out in a game of pool.

“Chris… you don’t understand….” Buck started.

“No, I don’t!” Chris interrupted. “But I want to. Buck, why?”

“Why do you, of all people, have to ask me that?” Buck fired back.

Chris was close to exploding. “What’s this got to do with me? You want to tell me because me and Ezra are together, you have to try it out as well?”

<Chris, calm down….> Ezra said softly. He had kept out of the confrontation, just watching the two men. He felt Chris’s anger, an anger that had no real direction yet. His partner was simply infuriated, unable to lash out at a specific target, and so he tried to bite Buck’s head off.

<Hell no! Didn’t you hear what he just said?> Chris demanded.

<Of course I heard what he just said, but you didn’t, Chris. You aren’t listening>

A Larabee Glare was directed at him. It didn’t faze Ezra the least.

“Buck, why did you go into this establishment?” the thief asked out loud, taking over the reigns again to try and swing this confrontation back around again.

“Couldn’t really ask you two,” Buck quipped weakly.

The joke fell short with his team leader. Chris was close to strangling his friend. “There are other ways!”

“Name one!” the other Agent challenged.

Chris opened his mouth, then shut it again, hesitating. “Ah,” he managed. “Well…. errrr…..”

<Gotcha there> Ezra laughed.

<Shut up!>

Ezra turned his attention back to the dark-haired man. “What Chris wants to say is, Buck, it was dangerous. Do you know what could have happened if someone had found out who you are?”

Buck blushed and was suddenly very interested in the table top again.

Ezra felt the volcano that was Larabee starting to steam again. “You didn’t wear your uniform….?” Chris groaned.

The silence was answer enough.

<He did!>

<Chris, think of your blood pressure> Ezra advised.

<To hell with it!>

<Okay, you explain it to Nathan when you have your physical>

“Okay.” Chris took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Buck, what happened?” he asked reasonably.

“You mean before the third offer or after?”

Chris’s jaw nearly hit the table. <Third offer….?> he squeaked.

<Not just a ladies’ man, hm?> Ezra teased. <Then again, he isn’t such a bad looking guy either, don’t you think?> There was a speculative tone in his mind-voice.

Chris’s attention snapped around. <What?!>

<Well, he is!>

<Ezra, shut up!>

<Yes, sir!> The thief almost saluted.

It made him the target of another Glare.

Buck twisted the glass around on the table. “Well, I met this guy,” he finally confessed. “We hit off right away.”

“So you got picked up?” Chris asked matter-of-factly.

“No! Wasn’t like that.”

“You picked him up.”

“No!” was the vehement denial and something flashed in the dark eyes.

“Okay, so you two met, you kinda agreed on spending the night together, and….?” Chris left the sentence unfinished and casually played with some crackers.

“Then we went to my quarters.”

Chris pulverized the crackers, a vein starting to throb at his neck. Ezra nearly slid under the table, laughing. If he didn’t know Chris as he did, he might just be intimidated by Commander Chris Larabee. The expression in those hazel eyes could be downright frightening, but no Larabee Glare had ever made the thief back down. Ezra Standish knew who Chris was, knew he more intimately than anyone could ever hope to, so currently, he was amused close to hysterical laughter by his lover’s reactions.

“Your quarters?” Chris asked slowly. “You took a total stranger, probably a hustler, to your quarters? Are you out of your mind?” His voice had risen with each word.

“He isn’t a hustler!” Buck hissed, a fire flashing in his eyes that was more than a warning to back off. It was a declaration of war if Chris decided to call the man he had slept with something even worse.

<Whoa. Now that’s interesting> Ezra remarked, intrigued.

Chris blinked, equally surprised. “Okay…. So?”

“So what?” Buck wanted to know, a suspicious look in his eyes.

“What’s your impression…?”

The suspicion turned to complete confusion.

“He wants to know if you liked it, Buck,” Ezra translated, taking pity.

Buck blushed again.

<I think we should take that as a yes> Ezra stated merrily.

<You think he went all the way?> Chris wanted to know, dread in his voice.

<Only one way to find out>

<I’m not going to ask!>

<Chicken!> Ezra laughed.

<Ezra?>

<Yes, Chris?> was the light reply.

<Shut up!>

“So you went all the way?” Ezra asked out loud.

Chris shot him a murderous look, followed by a bemused one from Buck. Then it dawned on him.

“All the… no! No, no, no! Not all the way!” he violently denied.

Chris dared to breathe again. <Thank god!>

“Why?” Ezra prodded.

Buck stared at him. “Why?”

“You wanted to know what’s it like. Why not go all the way?”

Chris’s glare intensified, but Ezra just shot him a bright smile.

“Both of us agreed I wasn’t really ready for it,” Buck explained softly.

“Both of you….?”

“Yes.”

Chris was confused, but he bit down on the next question that rose in his mind. Instead he turned to his partner. <You think he’s going to repeat it? I mean he liked it!>

<Well, only one way to find out….> Ezra laughed.

<Ezra, no!>

But Ezra had already posed the question, which had Buck clearing his throat in embarrassment. Chris nearly dropped his head in his hands. Incorrigible! The man was incorrigible! A mischievous expression crossed the handsome features and Chris sighed deeply.

“Okay, I think that answers that!” the thief declared happily.

<Remind me why I put up with you?> Larabee groaned.

<Because I’m such a loveable, restrained and sensitive man?>

Chris stared at him in disbelief. <Restrained? You?>

<Oh well, maybe just loveable and sensitive?> Ezra replied hopefully, a grin on his features.

<Don’t know about that either>

Buck was watching the silent pair with growing trepidation. He didn’t like the expressions flitting over the two faces at all. He knew they were using the Bond, which he found highly unfair, but he didn’t dare to ask anyway.

“Uh, guys…..” he tried.

“Yes, Buck?” Ezra smiled at him, totally at ease.

“Are you… well, are you okay with that?”

“With you sleeping with a man? Heck, Buck, you are grown up. You make your own decisions. I’m just asking you to be careful, is all,” Chris answered, his voice very serious.

Buck nodded. “I will be. Believe me, I will be.”

It was all there was to say at the moment.

 

*

 

Chris was pacing through the living room like a caged tiger, repeatedly running his hand through his already tousled, blond hair. Ezra sat on the couch, watching his partner with amusement.

“I don’t believe it! I just don’t believe it!” Chris muttered, repeating it over and over again.

“Chris, sit down, you’re making me dizzy.”

Chris ignored him, still moving. “Can you believe it? Buck… with another man!” More pacing.

“Actually, I can,” Ezra stated calmly.

“Hell, he never showed tendencies like that before…. What?” Chris whirled around and stared at his partner.

“I said, yes, I can.”

“Why?” Larabee stuttered.

“Chris, sexuality isn't binary. Most people aren't either straight or gay, they're somewhere in between. I found this interesting article in the archives while browsing.” Ezra shrugged. “There’s a study of human sexuality done by a Dr. Kinsey, in which he rated people on a scale from 0 to 6 - with 0 being completely heterosexual, no thoughts, dreams, desires or experiences with members of the same gender, and 6 being completely homosexual, no thoughts, dreams, desires or experiences with the opposite gender. They found that only about 6% of the population fell at either end of this scale - everyone else lay somewhere in between.”

Chris stared at him. “This is Buck we’re talking about!” he finally exclaimed. “The man who knows at least ten women at every space port and makes new acquaintances every time he visits!”

“And you are the man who was married to a woman for eight years and had a kid,” Ezra shot back.

“That’s not the same!” Chris argued vehemently.

“Oh?”

“We have the Bond….!”

One eyebrow rose. “So?”

“The Bond brought us together!” Chris declared.

Ezra studied his agitated partner, noticed the tension in the lean frame. He knew he was about to blow him right out of the water, but he needed Chris to realize something that was probably subconsciously already there.

“Remember Vin’s explanation of soul bonds?” he asked calmly. “A soul bond is a close connection between two people, but it doesn’t necessarily mean a physical relationship.”

Chris stopped in his pacing and stared at Ezra, eyes wide. Realization dawned; slowly.

“Even if the first time was the Bond,” Ezra went on, “even if it was something we were driven to do because of who and what we are, Borderlines, we weren’t forced to repeat the experience, Chris. We did that freely. And,” he lowered his voice, “some aspects of our ‘physical relationship’ are not exactly related to the closeness we have through the Bond.”

He opened the Bond slightly and let a few select images leak. Realization hit Chris like a sledge hammer. He swallowed.

“Oh damn,” he whispered.

Ezra decided to use his last shot. “Chris. You love me,” he said softly.

“I….”

<You do>

Wide, hazel eyes met green ones, seeing the truth there, feeling it himself. <I do…> Chris whispered.

He sounded like he was in a complete state of shock.

<And so do I> Ezra told him gently. <It’s not just the Bond. It brought us together and tore down some walls that would have stopped us otherwise. We decided to take the next step. If the emotions hadn’t been there, we would have stopped after the first time. Or we would ‘perform’ this necessary act once in a while because the Bond would hurt otherwise. But we aren’t, Chris. There’s a lot more to it>

Chris nodded slowly, sinking down on the couch as well. He ran a hand through his hair again. <I never realized…. I didn’t… >

<You did. Just never consciously> Ezra told him.

Chris drew a deep breath.

“So it’s possible for Buck to become… let’s say experimental, and try out sleeping with a man,” the thief went on out loud.

“It’s just hard to wrap my mind around it, Ezra.”

“You don’t have to wrap your mind around it. Just do what you asked of Buck some time ago. Accept it. Be a friend.”

Chris sighed explosively. “Okay, earned that.” He smiled wryly. “I’ll try to be better at this.”

“No one’s asking more of you.”

Suddenly Chris’s head came up and he fixed an intense gaze on Ezra. “Did you just tell me you loved me?”

They had never said it out loud. Never. There had never been the need either. Now that he thought about it, he had always known it some way or the other.

Ezra’s dimpled grin appeared. “Did I say that? You must have misheard me, Commander Larabee. How can a lovable, restrained, and sensitive man like me fall in love with a mean, old, and ill-tempered person like yourself?”

Chris’s expression turned feral. “Old? I’ll show you old!” He launched himself at Ezra, wrestling him to the couch. They lost their balance and slid to the floor, where Chris pinned the smaller man down, wrists left and right of his head. “And mean!” he breathed devilishly.

Ezra groaned as his partner sent a few very tantalizing images over the Bond. Oh hell, he was in for it now…..

 

* * *

 

Buck walked back into his quarters, his head spinning. And not because of the beers he had had. He had wanted to talk to Chris and Ezra, the two people he trusted the most in the newly developing matter at hand, and talk he had. Not like he had believed he would, but he had spilled the truth. Chris’s reaction had been something he had almost suspected. Ezra had been much calmer, lighter, and he had been the mediator between the two old friends.

As he closed the door behind himself, he became aware of someone else in his quarters. Vin sat on the couch, socked feet stretched out over the cushions, watching TV. He had left early with the others and despite Buck’s wish to just go as well, have some fun with his new lover, he had sat back and listened to his instinct to talk to his friends.

“Hey,” Vin greeted him, smiling lazily.

“Hey.”

Vin frowned at the muted reply. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s really wrong.” Buck ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the couch chair opposite Vin. “I kinda talked to Chris and Ezra.”

Vin sat up, his whole demeanor suddenly very serious.

“I told them.”

“About us?” was the quiet question.

“No.” Buck shook his head. “About me. No names.”

“Why?”

Wilmington gazed into those fascinating blue eyes. “Why no names? Heck, Vin, this is between you and me. Why talk at all? I’m not sure. I just needed someone to talk to. Someone I could trust.”

Vin leaned back, nodding slowly. “Okay.”

“Okay? You mean you aren’t mad?”

“Why should I be?” A lop-sided smile. “I told you I didn’t mind them knowing. I just wasn’t prepared, is all.”

“Thanks, Vin.”

“Nothing to thank me for. I guess it’s better this way.” Vin smiled. “Sometimes, secrets are made to be told to special people.”

Buck looked relieved and Vin couldn’t help it, he walked over to the couch chair and gave his lover a soft kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

“So, when did you develop it?”

Three pairs of confused eyes regarded Buck Wilmington, who was nursing one of Nettie’s special brews. Music played in the background of the small but popular bar, while most of the front room was filled with cheering men and women watching one of the live football matches. Nettie’s investment into a large screen TV had paid off.

“When did we develop what?” Chris asked, perplexed.

“Well, that remote control thingy?”

Ezra slowly set down his beer. It was always better to keep drinks firmly on the table and to swallow what you had just drunk when Buck asked an apparently innocent question. There was no such thing as an innocent question when it came to the other Agent. He had learned that lesson early on.

Now he leaned back, watching Vin and Chris shoot their friend even more confused looks.

“Buck, what are you talking about?” Chris sighed.

“Never knew that a fountain-pen had such… a variety of uses.”

Chris and Vin sprayed beer all over the table. Vin started to cough violently, waving his hand, his face taking on a distinctive red hue. Ezra took pity on him and handed him a napkin. For some reason, Casey had graced them with a full load of the white towels tonight.

“What?!” Chris exclaimed, voice rising. He didn’t even try to mop up the droplets. <He saw us!>

Ezra threw several napkins over the small puddle of beer. <Apparently>

Chris paled. <Oh no!> he moaned. <No! Impossible!>

<Nothing to be ashamed of. You looked hot>

That earned him a disbelieving look. <What?>

Ezra smiled and sent an image of how he had perceived Chris, half sitting, half laying in the chair, intensely aroused, eyes closed, breathing hard.

“Hey, nothing to it,” Buck interrupted them and drawing Chris out of his shock. “You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

Larabee stared at him in disbelief. He wasn’t hearing this. He wasn’t hearing this! Buck… had seen him. Him and Ezra. Well, granted, they had both been several feet apart, sitting at different desks, both fully clothed…. But… Buck had seen them! How much more embarrassing could it be?

“Buck!” he ground out.

Vin had buried his head in his hand, sighing deeply. “Didn’t I tell you not to ask?” he hissed under his breath, but Ezra heard it nevertheless.

“Nothing to an honest question,” Buck declared, smiling broadly.

“You’re aware you’re talking to you boss here, right?” Chris snarled. “About your boss!”

“Hey, if you want us to repay you for the favor… boss….”

Chris gaped. “Wilmington!” he hissed.

Vin just choked on his beer again. “Buck!”

Ezra barely managed to hide his laughter.  Oh, this was priceless!

“What?” Buck asked innocently.

“Don’t give them any ideas!” Vin hissed.

“Just a little performance. Like they did for us…”

“We didn’t do anything for you!” Larabee interrupted sharply.

<Chris? Blood pressure>

<Shut up!>

“Looked sexy anyway,” was the merry reply.

“I doubt I’d find anything erotic about watching you and Vin,” Chris muttered, eyes sparking dangerously.

“You’ll never know until you’ve tried. Isn’t that what you guys told me once?”

<Buck can’t be serious!> Chris exclaimed, unable to comprehend what his oldest friend was suggesting.

<Looks like he’s dead serious>

Chris sent disbelief.

<You always told me he’s the experimental type, Chris>

<Even Buck has a limit!>

<Apparently, he hasn’t reached it yet. But there’s only one way to find out>

<Ezra, no!>

Too late.

“So, you’re into a foursome?” Ezra piped up.

Chris shot daggers at his lover, who had that annoyingly innocent grin on his face. <Ezra!>

<What?>

<You wouldn’t….>

<Why not?>

<Ezra! I can’t believe you’d consider… with Vin.. or even Buck!>

Ezra gave him a smile. <You, commander, are jealous!>

<Jealous? Me?>

<Yes>

<Am not!>

<Are too!>

<Not!>

<C’mon, confess it, Chris…>

“I’m not jealous!” Chris hissed.

There was a moment of silence, then he became aware of the fact that he had spoken out loud. Embarrassment was too mild a word to describe his state.

“Oh hell….” he murmured.

 

 

Buck and Vin looked at each other. The short, intense exchange of looks between their two friends hadn’t gone by their attention. Used to the silent way of communication between Chris and Ezra, they had become adept at reading facial expressions. Ezra was seriously teasing Chris with something and now they had the explanation.

Catching the expression in Ezra’s dancing, green eyes, seeing the invitation and challenge to play along, Buck nodded at his lover. Vin gave him a lop-sided grin. He had understood.

“Well, they are two very handsome men,” Buck said speculatively, eyes first on Ezra, then Chris.

“First dips on Chris!” Vin announced.

“Why do you get Chris?”

“Because you have already acquainted yourself with Ezra. You’ve been in bed together.”

“We didn’t sleep together!” Buck protested with mock outrage.

“You did… literally.”

“But not like… that!”

“Your chance to rectify that mistake.”

“Tanner!” Chris hissed, anger making itself heard.

Ezra just grinned.

<You are jealous> he sang over the Bond.

<Shut up, Standish!>

Chris inhaled deeply, taking in the expression on Buck and Vin’s faces, listening to the Bond, and finally recognizing the teasing sparkle in Ezra’s eyes.

Hell!

<You are enjoying this!>

<Of course I do, Commander Larabee> came the purred reply.

Chris sighed silently and reigned in his anger, plotting revenge. Damn Buck! The man was a quick study when it came to turning the tables and keeping you on your toes.

“So you think you could keep up with Ezra?” Chris challenged out loud, surprising both his partner and his friends.

Buck and Vin exchanged looks, openly confused.

“I have pretty high standards,” Chris added as an explanation.

<High standards, hm? Thank you, sir>

“And I don’t share with everyone.”

<You never share> came the silent comment.

<Would you want me to?>

<What’d I get in return?>

<Buck?>

Ezra chuckled. <No offence, but I doubt it would be the same>

They both knew no fling, no one-night-stand could compare to their relationship.

<How do you know?> Chris teased, falling into the pattern of the game. <Unless you try it out?>

<Well, once wouldn’t hurt….>

Jealousy arched across the Bond and Ezra felt a warm glow inside his soul. He smiled at Chris, tossing the sensation back at him, and Chris had the decency to look embarrassed.

<You are jealous> Ezra stated softly. <I feel honored>

“Base to Larabee!” Buck waved a hand to catch their attention. “If you guys would rather get a separate room now…?”

“Then Buck and I could get our own,” Vin finished, earning himself a mildly outraged look from Wilmington.

Ezra chuckled. “We just reaffirmed the fact that, despite your gracious offer, Mr. Larabee and I won’t participate in any extracurricular adventures.”

“Damn, Ez, that was a mouthful,” Vin commented, grinning.

“A simple ‘No, thanks, guys’ would have sufficed.” Buck sighed dramatically. “You break my heart.”

Ezra mirrored the dramatic expression. “I’m deeply sorry, Buck, my friend.”

<You are not> Chris teased.

The thief smirked.

“I think I can ease that broken heart,” Vin murmured seductively, one hand suspiciously under the table.

Buck’s eyebrows climbed up. “I think I concur,” he managed.

“Boys, take it to a room,” Chris growled.

“You coming, too?” Buck teased while Vin’s other hand reappeared.

“No, we’re having a private showing of tonight’s special,” Ezra answered smoothly.

“Not even a peek?”

Vin rolled his eyes at his lover’s straight-forwardness. Buck was just as bad as Ezra.

“Not even a peek,” Chris rumbled, a warning in his eyes that clearly stated ‘hands off’.

Buck flashed him a smile.

“Don’t worry,” Vin told him. “He’ll be too busy to even think about peeking.”

 

* * *

 

Ezra walked into his quarters, followed by Chris. The door had barely closed behind them when the thief was pushed against the wall and claimed in a fervent, hard kiss. He clutched at Chris, answering the needy confirmation with the same abandon, leaving them both breathless. Liquid hazel eyes regarded him hungrily as they parted.

Ezra smiled and traced the well-known lips with his thumb as he cupped Chris’s face.

<There’s no need for this> he murmured. <For jealousy>

<Not jealous> Chris breathed, kissing him again with almost bruising strength.

Right. No jealousy. Ezra almost laughed giddily. No one had ever felt like this about him and even if the soul bond would forever connect them, Chris had reacted …. territorial. The warmth in his soul returned, adding to the flutter in his stomach.

Chris pushed and pulled him over to the bedroom, nipping at the warm skin in his reach. Ezra tugged at the dark clothes, answering each feverish sensation from the Bond with one of his own. Chris was out to stake his claim and Ezra wasn’t about to be passive about it. He had just as much to be territorial about, as much to claim, and tonight, he would show Chris just how much.


End file.
